Who’s Behind Some of the DMV’s Most Popular Japanese Restaurants and Dessert Shops?

Joken Zhen and Penny Gan began as stall owners at The Spot food hall in Rockville, Maryland. Their work would eventually grow to include a dessert business with national franchise reach, a central kitchen at IVEA headquarters, Genki Izakaya, and Genki Wagyu House. Through that expansion, their priority has remained the same: quality comes first.

The Spot provided the starting point. The Asian food hall opened in July 2018, bringing several food businesses together under one roof in downtown Rockville. For Joken and Penny, a stall was their first step into a much larger role in hospitality.

They went on to open their first dessert shop and develop their business through Kyo Matcha, also known as Kyoto Matcha. The brand’s Rockville shop opened in 2019 at 33 Maryland Avenue. Matcha drinks, cakes, and frozen desserts gave the business a clear focus and a foundation for expansion beyond its first neighborhood.

By November 2026, the publicly documented Kyo Matcha footprint covered at least 15 operating U.S. locations across six states: five in Maryland, two in Virginia, two in Pennsylvania, one in Massachusetts, one in Illinois and four in Minnesota. The Maryland shops are in Rockville, Columbia, Ellicott City, Towson and Hunt Valley. Falls Church and Alexandria carry the brand in Virginia; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; Brookline in Massachusetts; and Champaign in Illinois. The Minnesota locations are in Richfield, Maple Grove, Minneapolis and Burnsville. Philadelphia opened in August 2026, extending the network beyond the locations already listed with addresses in the brand’s store locator.

Two additional Greater Boston cafés have been publicly announced. A Cambridge shop at 580B Massachusetts Avenue is targeting late 2026, while another Boston location is planned for 2027, with its address still to be announced. Both are being developed by Jaclyn Nguyen, the local franchisee behind the Brookline café. These two projects are counted separately from the operating stores; their dates remain announced targets.

The franchise program gives local operators a route into that growing network. Kyo Matcha describes support with choosing a location, preparing a grand opening and coaching franchise owners, while its franchise requirements call for operating and management experience, financial strength, communication with the team and ongoing headquarters training. For Joken and Penny, expanding through franchise partners means extending a recognizable dessert brand while keeping the product and its preparation consistent across cities.

Their work also extends behind the storefronts. Joken and Penny run a central kitchen at IVEA headquarters, taking on the production side of a growing hospitality business. It is a less visible part of their story, but an important one. As more locations open, maintaining quality requires attention to the preparation and organization that happen before a product reaches the guest.

Their next chapter brought them into full-service Japanese dining with Genki Izakaya in Fairfax, Virginia. Its menu includes sushi, yakitori, noodles, and tempura, alongside Japanese beer and sake. The restaurant’s stated emphasis on sourcing ingredients locally and from Japanese suppliers reflects the quality-first approach that connects their different businesses. Its drinks have also drawn attention beyond the dining room: Washingtonian included Genki Izakaya’s highballs among its favorite DC-area cocktails in March 2026.

Genki Wagyu House followed in Rockville, with Japanese shabu-shabu at the center of the experience. Guests gather around simmering broth to cook and share their meal, with wagyu, seafood, and sushi selections offered through different dining courses. For Joken and Penny, it marked another step in the progression from running a food hall stall to helping lead more complex restaurant operations.

Today, their responsibilities reach across IVEA. Joken serves as VP of Project Management, while Penny is part of the National Management Team for Kyo Matcha and Genki Izakaya.

They are also helping lead a younger generation of hospitality operators. Their experience gives that leadership a practical foundation: starting with a stall, opening a shop, expanding through franchise partnerships, and taking responsibility for production and restaurant teams.

For those following them, the example is clear. Start with the work in front of you. Learn to run it well. As the business grows, keep quality at the center of every decision.

About this profile: IVEA Concepts publishes this account of its own team and businesses. The personal business history, central-kitchen responsibilities, and leadership priorities were supplied by Edward Wong. Public sources support the venue history, brand descriptions, franchise activity, and current team roles. Photos are from IVEA’s official team and brand pages and Genki Izakaya’s website.